Sewing machine



Aug. 12, 1941. c. SEA /m 2,252,356

SEWING MACHINE Filed Jan. 26, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l IN VENTOR.

. (HA RL E5 SEAMAN BY 0 ATTORNEY.

Aug. 12, 1941-. A N 2,252,356

, SEWING MACHINE Filed Jan. 26, 1940 .s Sheets- Sheet s g 5 94 g INVENTOR. I fi/ARLES SEAMAN ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 12, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEWING MACHINE Charles Seaman, Jamaica Estates, N. Y.

Application January 26, 1940, Serial No. 315,657

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a sewing machine, or to an attachment, for feeding material having two or more plies, such as hems, seams, binding, trimming or the like.

It has been found that in sewing material of the above character there is a tendency for the upper plies to puff up and produce a non-uniform or irregular effect due to the drag of the presser foot and the action of the feed dog which engages and feeds only the lowermost ply. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a device of the type indicated in which the tendency of the upper plies to puff up or to feed irregularly is eliminated.

Another object is to provide a positive feed mechanism suited to feed uniformly a material, such as a hem, binding, trimming or the like having two or more plies.

Another object is to provide a device of the type above indicated which may be attached to a standard sewing machine.

Another object is to provide a dependable, convenient and commercially practical device for the purpose specified.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

In accordance with the present invention, an

upper feed dog is provided which engages the top ply of the material and operates in synchro- -nism with the lower feed dog to feed both the upper and lower plies uniformly and simultaneously. In this way, a positive feed is obtained and irregularities in the upper plies are avoided.

The invention also provides mechanism for causing the upper feed dog to successively engage and release the material in synchronism with the reciprocation of the presser foot during stitching.

Although the novel features which are believed tobe characteristic of this invention are pointed out more particularly in the claims appended hereto, the nature of the invention may be better understood by referring to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which certain specific embodiments have been set forth for purposes of illustration.

, In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a sewing machine head embodying the present invention with parts broken away to show the details of construction; Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof and partly in section for clarity;

TFigure 3 is a front elevation of the upper feed Figure 4 is a plan view of the upper feed dog mechanism;

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a front elevation of a product made by the present machine;

Figure '7 is a section taken on the line l'l of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a rear elevation of the product; and

Figure 9 is a detail view of a further embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the invention is shown as applied to a sewing machine head having a base or work plate I (Figures 1 and 2) carrying an overhanging arm 2 and needle head 3. The needle head carries the usual needle bar 4 which is actuated by suitable mechanism from a rotating drive shaft 6. A lever l is provided for elevating the presser foot bar 5 when desired, as, for example, to release the material for adjustment, insertion, or removal thereof.

The base I is provided with an aperture 10 through which a lower feed dog I l extends. The feed dog II is mounted upon an oscillating link I2 which is actuated by the usual four-motion drive, including, for example, an oscillating arm 14 connected to cause horizontal reciprocating movement of said link l2 and an oscillating arm [5 connected to cause vertical reciprocating movement thereof. The arm I5 is shown as connected to the link l2 by a roller I6 engaging an elongated slot H in said link.

The presser foot bar 5 is actuated in synchronism with the feed dog ll so that the presser foot engages the material for holding the same stationary during the stitching operation and is elevated during the feeding by the feed dog H after each stitching operation.

It is to be understood that the mechanism thus far referred to is of standard construction and only so much thereof has been set forth herein as is necessary to an understanding of the present invention.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a folder 20 is provided for folding, a binding or piping material into, for example, a U-shaped cross-section for attachment as a binding to the edge of a base material. The binding material may be guided to the folder 20 by means of a gate 2| and may be discharged through a throat 22. The folder may be attached to the base I by suitable means, such as a clip 23. It is to be understood that the folder 20 may be of any desired form, depending upon the character of the binding or piping material. It may be, for example, adapted to fold a binding material 25, as shown in Figures 6, '7 and 8, into a U-shaped section having an upper ply 26 and a lower ply 21. The edges of the upper and lower plies may be infolded to conceal the same and the folded binding may be attached to a base material 29 by means of a row of stitches 30. It is to be understood, of course, that one or both edges of the binding material may be folded in, or the binding may be folded to form a plurality of upper and lower plies, as desired. The invention is not restricted to the particular configuration shown.

For feeding the top ply of the binding material, an upper feed dog is provided which comprises a spring arm 34 pivoted at 35 to a plate 36 which may be attached to the base I by screws 31. The spring arm is positioned above and extends parallel to the base of the machine, as shown in Figure 3, and is bent upwardly as at 38 to provide clearance for the material and then downwardly as at 39 to form an upper feed dog 43. The lower edge of the upper feed dog 40 may be provided with the usual serrations to assist the feeding operation.

For actuating the arm 34 in synchronism with the lower feed dog l I, the latter is elevated from the link 12 by means of a block 45 which is positioned within the aperture iii. A bracket 45 carrying a rod 41 is attached to the block 45, as by means of screws 48, the arrangement being such that the rod 4! is driven by the link i2 and executes a movement similar to that of the lower feed dog I I. A standard feed plate 49 is elevated by means of blocks 55 to a position to cooperate with the lower feed dog I l.

The spring arm 34 is shown as attached to the rod 41 by means of a slide 51 which is adjustably mounted on the rod 47 and may be held in adjusted position by a set screw 52. The slide is provided with a pair of upstanding flanges 53 between which the spring arm 34 may be clamped, as by means of a screw 54. The horizontal stroke of the upper feed dog 43, produced by movement of the rod 41, may be adjusted by varying the distance of the slide 5! from the pivot point 35 of said arm.

For controlling the vertical movement of the upper feed dog 40, a lever 60 is provided, as shown in detail in Figures 2, 3 and 5. This lever 68 is pivoted by a screw Bl to an arm 52 and is provided at its end with a pin 63 adapted to bear against the top of the spring arm 34. A spring 64 is secured between the free end of the lever 60 and a hook G5 adjustably held in a boss 66 formed on a bracket 6?. The arm 62 is also attached to the bracket 5'! by means of a screw 70. The bracket 5'! is provided with a flange 58 which. is attached to the needle head 3 by means of a screw 69.

A block is shown as attached to the presser foot bar 5 by means of a screw 15 (Figure 2). This block has a downwardly extending leg 11 carrying a presser foot 18 and an upwardly extending arm 19 in which wires 80 and SI are secured by means of set screws 82 and 83 respectively. The wire 85 is pivotally connected to the arm 62 in :a position to elevate the free end of said arm and to thereby lower the pin 63 and the lever 60 associated therewith when the presser foot bar 5 is raised. The wire 8'! extends beneath the spring arm 34 with sufficient clearance so thatthe wire only engages the arm when the presser foot bar is elevated by means "of the lever 1.

In the operation of the above-described mechanism, the binding or piping material is folded by means of the folder 20 and is fed to the path of the needle for stitching in the usual manner. The lower feed dog ll executes the usual fourmotion feeding movement in synchronism with the operation of the needle bar 4 and the presser foot bar 5. The movement of the lower feed dog ll causes a corresponding movement of the rod i! and thereby causes the spring arm 34 to oscillate in a horizontal direction. In this way, the upper feed dog 40 is reciprocated in a horizontal direction in synchronism with the horizontal reciprocation of the lower feed dog H.

When the presser foot bar 5 is elevated during the feeding stroke of the lower feed dog H, the wire 89, engaging the arm 62, causes pivotal movement thereof to depress the pin 63 and to cause the same to correspondingly depress the spring arm 34 and to bring the upper feed dog 45 into feeding engagement with the top ply of the material. When the presser foot bar 5 is lowered to engage the material during the stitching operation, the reverse operation takes place and the pin 63 is elevated to permit the upper feed dog 43 to be raised by the action of the spring arm 34 and to release the material. In this way, a four-motion feed movement is imparted to the upper feed dog 45 in synchronism with the corresponding movement of the lower feed dog ll so that the upper feed dog is moved downwardly into engagement with the top ply of material simultaneously with the upward movement of the lower feed dog H into engagement with the lower ply of material. At the completion of the feed stroke, both feed dogs are retracted, the lower feed dog downwardly and the upper feed dog upwardly. I

When the presser foot bar 5 is raised a substantial distance by actuation of the lever I, the wire 8! engages the under side of the spring arm 34 and raises the upper feed dog against the tension of the spring '54, out of contact with the material, thereby releasing the material for insertion, removal or adjustment thereof.

The tension of the upper feed dog may be varied by adjusting the tension on the spring 54, as, for example, by adjusting the position of the hook 65 in the boss 66.

By means of the above construction, the upper and lower plies of material are fed in synchronism by the upper and lower feed dogs, so that any tendency of the upper ply to puff due to irregular feeding is avoided. The mechanism may be used 'to feed material having any desired number of plies and assures a uniform and positive feed regardless of the thickness of the material. The folder 29 may be modified or omitted depending upon the requirements in any particular case. For joining two pieces of material, for example, the folder may not be required, or the folder may be adapted to form various types of hems, binding or piping.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the mechanism is identical with that above described with the exception of the shape of the spring arm 34, the upper feed dog and the presser foot. In this embodiment, the spring arm 34 is provided with a lip to which a bracket 9| is secured by means of a screw 92. The bracket 9i carries the upper feed dog 40, which is positioned beyond the needle path in the direction 'of' feed of the material, and is shown as profoot "if in this embodiment is providedwith a slot 95 adapted to receive the feed dog 40 and to permit the same to engage the material at a point closely adjacent the needle path. It will be noted that in this embodiment, the upper feed dog .40 does not conceal the material in advance of the needle.

This embodiment may be desirable in certain instances where the manual guiding or feeding of the material to the needle requires an unobstructed view thereof. This embodiment is also useful in instances where a folder or other guide means is positioned directly in front of the needle path, as for example,in making blind stitched piping as set forth inmy Patent No. 2,125,652, dated August 2, 1938.

It is tobe understood that the presser foot 18 may be made in any convenient form depending upon the nature of the stitching operation and the shape of the upper feed dog. If desired, the upper feed dog may be positioned at the rear of'the presser foot so as to engage the materialafter passage thereunder, in which event the presser foot may be made in the usual form.

Though the invention has been described in connection with applying a binder to a material so that both the top and bottom plies of the binder are substantially fiat and uniform, it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted thereto. For example, by lengthening the stroke of the spring arm 34, by adjustment of the slide the speed of travel of the upper feed dog 40 may, though still synchronized with the lower feed dog ll, be at a faster rate than that of the said lower feed dog. This is of advantage when it is desired to unite two materials and when it is desired to shir material which constitutes the top layer as the two materials pass through the machine. It is apparent that in this embodiment the folder 20 is omitted.

While certain specific embodiments of the invention have been set forth for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be restricted thereto, but that various changes and modifications may be made therein as will readily appear to a person skilled in the art. The invention is only to be limited in accordance with the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a sewing machine having a head carrying a reciprocating needle bar, a presser foot bar, a lower feed dog to engage the under surface of a material and actuating means for said lower feed dog adapted to produce a four-motion feed movement thereof, an upper feed dog to engage the upper surface of said material, a spring arm carrying said upper feed dog, means pivoting said arm for oscillating movement in the direction of feed of the material, a rod attached to said actuating means-and extending substantially parallel to said spring arm, adjustable means connecting said rod to said arm to cause said arm to oscillate in synchronism with the movement of said lower feed dog and to vary the stroke of said arm, and means actuated by reciprocation of said presser foot bar to depress said upper feed dog into engagement with said material during the feed stroke thereof, said last means and said rod being adapted to impart a four-motion feed movement to said upper feed dog in synchronism with the corresponding movement of said lower feed. dog. I

2. In a sewing machine having a head carrying a reciprocating needle bar, a presser foot bar, a lower feed dog and actuating means for said lower feed dog adapted to produce a four-motion feed. movement thereof, an upper feed dog, a spring arm positioned above and extending substantially parallel to the work plate carrying said upper feed dog, means associated with said actuating means to cause said spring arm to oscillate in the direction of feed of said material, means actuated by said presser foot bar to depress said upper feed dog into engagement with the material during the feed stroke thereof, whereby the upper feed dog is caused to execute a fourmotion feed movement in synchronism with said lower feed dog, and means associated with said presser foot bar to engage ancl elevate said spring arm so as to cause said upper feed dog to release the material when said presser foot bar is elevated.

3. An attachment fora sewing machine having a head carrying a reciprocating needle bar, a presser foot bar, a lower feed dog and actuating means for said lower feed dog adapted to produce a four-motion feed movement thereof, said attachment comprising an upper feed dog to engage the upper surface of said material, a spring arm carrying said upper feed dog, means pivoting said arm for oscillating movement in the direction of feed of the material, a rod to be attached to said actuating means and extending substantially parallel to said spring arm, adjustable means connecting said rod to said arm to cause said arm to oscillate in synchronism with the movement of said lower feed dogand to vary the stroke of said arm, and means to be actuated by said presser foot bar to depress said upper feed dog into engagement with said material during the feed stroke thereof, said last means and said rod being adapted to impart a four-motion feed movement to said upper feed dog in synchronism with the corresponding, movement of said lower feed dog.

4. An attachment for a sewing machine having a head carrying a reciprocating needle bar, a presser foot bar, a lower feed dog and actuating means for said lower feed dog adapted to produce a four-motion feeding movement thereof, said attachment comprising an upper feed dog, a spring arm carrying said upper feed dog, means to be connected to said actuating means to cause said spring arm to oscillate in the direction of feed of said material, means to be actuated by said presser foot bar to depress said upper feed dog into engagement with the material during the feed stroke thereof, whereby the upper feed dog is caused to execute a four-motion feed movement in synchronism with said lower feed dog, and means to be actuated by said presser foot bar to engage and elevate said spring arm so as to cause said upper feed dog to release the material when said presser foot bar is elevated.

5. In a sewing machine having a head carrying a reciprocating needle bar, a presser foot bar adapted to reciprocate during the stitching operation, a lower feed dog to engage the under surface of a material and actuating means for said lower feed dog adapted to produce a fourmotion feed movement thereof, an upper feed dog to engage the upper surface of said material, a spring arm carrying said upper feed dog, means pivoting said arm for oscillating movement in the direction of feed of the material, a rod attached to said actuating means and extending substantially parallel to said spring arm, means connecting said rod to said arm to cause said arm to oscillate in synchronism with the movement of said lower feed dog, and means actuated by reciprocation of said presser foot bar to depress said upper feed dog into engagement with said material during the feed stroke thereof, said last "means and said rod being adapted to impart a four-motion feed movement to said upper feed dog in synchronism with the corresponding movement of said lower feed dog.

6. In a sewing machine having a head carrying a reciprocating needle bar, a presser foot bar adapted to reciprocate during the stitching operation, a lower feed dog to engage the under surface of a material and actuating means for said lower feed dog adapted to produce a fourmotion feed thereof, an upper feed dog to engage the upper surface of a material, a spring arm carrying said upper feed dog, means associated with said actuating means to cause said arm to oscillate in the direction of feed of said material, a pin adapted to bear against the top of said arm, and means actuated during the reciprocation of the presser foot 'bar to cause said pin to depress said arm to cause said upper feed dog to engage said material during the feed stroke of said upper feed dog.

7. In a sewing machine having a head carrying a reciprocating needle 'bar, a presser foot bar adapted to reciprocate during the stitching operation, a manually actuated lever adapted to elevate said presser 'fodt loar, a lower feed dog to engage the under surface of a material and actuating means for said lower feed dog adapted to produce "a four-motion feed thereof, an upper feed dog to engage the upper surface of a material, a spring arm carrying said upper feed dog, means associated with said actuating means to cause said arm to oscillate in the direction offeed of said material, a pin adapted 'to bear against the top of said arm, means actuated during the reciprocation of the presser foot bar to cause said pin to depress said arm to cause said upper feed dog to engage said material during the feed stroke of said upper feed dog, and means adapted to engage said spring arm at the bottom thereof and elevate the same when said manually actuated lever is actuated to raise said presser foot bar.

'8. In a sewing machine having a head carrying a reciprocati-ng needle 'bar, a presser foot bar adapted to reciprocate during the stitching ope'ration, 'a lower feed dog to engage the under surface of a material and actuating means for said lower feed dog adapted to produce a fourmotion feed movement thereof, an upper feed dog to engage the upper surface of said material, a spring arm carrying said upper feed dog, means associated with said actuating means to cause said spring arm to oscillate in the direction of the feed of said material, a pivoted lever having on one end thereof a pin adapted to bear against the top of said spring arm, and means cooperating with said lever and actuated by said presser foot bar to actuate said lever to cause said pin to depress said arm and thereby lower said upper feed dog into engagement with said material during the feed stroke of said upper feed dog.

9. In a sewing machine having a head carrying a reciprocating needle bar, a presser foot bar adapted to reciprocate during the stitching operation, a manually actuated lever adapted to elevate said presser foot bar, a lower feed dog to engage the under surface of a material and actuating means for said lower feed dog adapted to produce a four-motion feed movement thereof, an upper feed dog to engage the upper surface of said material, a spring arm carrying said upper feed dog, means associated with said actuating means to cause said spring arm to oscillate in the direction of the feed of said material, a pivoted lever having on one end thereof a pin adapted to bear against the top of said spring arm, means cooperating with said lever and actuated by said presser foot bar to actuate said lever to cause said pin to depress said arm and thereby lower said upper feed dog into engagement with said material during the feed stroke of said upper feed dog, and means actuated by said presser foot bar and adapted to engage said spring arm at the bottom thereof and elevate the same when said manually actuated lever is actuated to raise said presser foot bar.

CHARLES SEAMAN. 

